The Montreal Impact announced on Tuesday that Kevin Gilmore has been named the club's president and CEO, allowing Joey Saputo to focus on his ownership duties.
Gilmore, 54, brings more than a quarter-century of experience in sports, media and entertainment, including stints with the Walt Disney Company, Anschutz Entertainment Group and the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
"I'm proud to announce the nomination of Kevin Gilmore as president and CEO of the club," said Joey Saputo in a statement. "Today, with our league growing by leaps and bounds, new expansion, exciting new stadiums and unparalleled growth, we clearly need to strengthen our organization, review and refine its current structure, increase our level of professionalism and efficiency, and above all, be ready for the major transformations that are rapidly sweeping our sport."
With Saputo handing off his duties as club president, Tuesday’s news marks the end of a key chapter in the Impact’s history. During his time in that post, Saputo has overseen the construction and subsequent expansion of Stade Saputo, the move to MLS, the founding of the Impact’s youth academy and the development of Centre Nutrilait, their cutting-edge training facility.
A Quebec native, the bilingual Gilmore most recently founded 4Sport Consulting and worked on the administrative council of the Canadian Women's Hockey League and the Canadian Olympic Committee. He served as the executive VP and CEO of the Canadiens from 2011 until 2016, focusing on corporate partnerships, sales and marketing.
"I am proud and very honored to be before you today as the Montreal Impact's new president and CEO," said Gilmore. "Overseeing a professional sports franchise has been a lifelong dream of mine and I am excited to now do this with a team and a league that are not only experiencing tremendous growth, but are poised to capitalize on boundless opportunities for future growth in the coming years.
“Being able to do this in the great city where I am returning with my family makes this even more special. I look forward to working with Joey and the entire Impact staff to take this club's performance to new levels, both on and off the field, and make this organization one of North America's best sports organizations."
As part of Gilmore’s arrival, the Impact also announced a long-term partnership with Bold Sports & Entertainment (Bold), where Gilmore is a partner.
